The Participatory Design Legacy of Henry Sanoff: Co-Creation and Community-Based Design Learning

The Participatory Design Legacy of Henry Sanoff: Co-Creation and Community-Based Design Learning explores the enduring influence of Henry Sanoff’s pioneering work in participatory design and community engagement. For more than six decades, Sanoff has reshaped how architects, planners, educators, and communities collaborate in the designing and planning environments that shape everyday life. This book reflects on that legacy while demonstrating how his ideas continue to inform and transform education in diverse fields including architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design and planning. Through reflections, scholarly contributions, and case-based insights, it shows how participatory processes, rooted in dialogue, empathy, and shared authorship, reposition communities as active partners in defining the environments they inhabit.

Drawing on the experiences of Sanoff’s protégés, colleagues, and collaborators, the authors explore how participatory design has influenced architectural and planning education across diverse cultural and geographic contexts in both Eastern and Western settings. The book presents a rich range of cases involving schools, neighbourhoods, workplaces, and community facilities, demonstrating how participatory approaches connect students and professionals with communities in meaningful ways. Methods such as design workshops, charrettes, design games, walking tours, and community assessments illustrate how dialogue between designers and citizens can lead to more inclusive processes and responsive design outcomes. These examples highlight the pedagogical value of co-creation as a powerful form of community-based learning.

More than a reflection on Sanoff’s legacy, the book is a forward-looking call to action. It invites educators, students, architects, urban designers, and scholars to continue advancing participatory practices in architectural and planning education and practice. Placing emphasis on collaboration, community knowledge, and democratic engagement, the book offers both inspiration and pedagogical and professional insights for those committed to designing more inclusive and socially responsive environments.

Ashraf M. Salama is Professor of Architecture and Urbanism and Head of the School of Architecture and the Built Environment at the University of Northumbria at Newcastle. Co-Director of the UNESCO/UIA Validation Council for Architectural Education, he has chaired four schools of architecture across Egypt, Qatar, and the United Kingdom over 25 years. He holds an honorary professorship at the University Putra Malaysia and has held tenured and visiting positions across nine countries. Educated at Al Azhar University in Egypt and North Carolina State University in the United States, he has secured over £2.5 million in research funding and published more than 250 outputs, including 18 books, 130 articles in leading journals, and more than 40 chapters on architectural pedagogy, sustainable urbanism, and assessment of designed environments. He has supervised more than 25 PhD theses to completion as primary supervisor and examined over 40 doctoral theses internationally. He is the Chief Editor of International Journal of Architectural Research and the recipient of the UIA 2017 Jean Tschumi Prize for Excellence in Architectural Education and Criticism.

Celen Pasalar is Associate Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at North Carolina State University, where she also serves as Extension Coordinator for the College of Design. A University Faculty Scholar, she serves on the Executive Leadership team of NC State’s Global One Health Academy and on the Board of Directors of the Environmental Design Research Association. Her interdisciplinary scholarship bridges design, public health, and environmental resilience. Her work examines how built and natural environments influence community wellbeing, advancing evidence-based design strategies for healthier and climate-responsive communities. Working across urban and rural contexts, she leads interdisciplinary, community-engaged research that translates design inquiry into policy and measurable impact. She has secured more than $2.5 million in external funding, including grants from the National Science Foundation and FEMA. Her work has earned national recognition, including multiple ASLA awards and the 2020 CELA Excellence in Service-Learning Award.

Zeynep Toker is Professor of Urban Planning and Department Chair of Urban Studies and Planning at California State University, Northridge. She holds degrees in City and Regional Planning and Urban Design from Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, a PhD in Community and Environmental Design from North Carolina State University and completed postdoctoral studies at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Since 2006, she has successfully led more than 30 community-based learning projects in partnership with local government agencies and nonprofits across Los Angeles, California. Applying a feminist framework, her research addresses community participation in urban planning, sustainable urbanism, and the relationship between streetscape design and public health. Her work has been published in leading journals in the field and has informed planning practice at the local and regional level. She is the recipient of the American Planning Association California Chapter’s Academic Project Award (2018) and the Association of Environmental Professionals' Achievement Award (2016).